Larson victorious at Darlington, advances to next round of playoffs
TRACK: Darlington Raceway
LENGTH: 1.366-mile oval
DATE: Sept. 3, 2023
STARTED: 18th
FINISHED: 1st
STANDINGS: 2nd (-1 point)
On Saturday at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson scored an 18th-place starting position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
But before climbing into his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for the series’ first race in the playoffs, Larson met with Lexus of Charleston teammate and Master Technician of 20+ years Robert Lazzaro and his son Myles who also worked at the dealership as a technician. The Lazzaro duo was in attendance as honorary crew members for the race and were presented with their names above the passenger side window on the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for the 500-mile race.
Upon taking the green flag, Larson quickly made moves advancing through the field. Before his first pit stop on lap 33, Larson had climbed nine positions. During the green-flag pit stop, crew chief Cliff Daniels called for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Upon completion of the pit cycle, Larson was scored in the ninth position. Daniels chimed in on the radio to assure Larson that he was faster than all of the competitors ahead of him despite his car being on the ‘free side.” Just over 25 laps later, Larson came down pit road under green again for four tires, fuel and adjustments from his crew. At the completion of the pit cycle, he was ranked in the fourth position. Shortly after, Larson took the third position with just over 30 laps to go in the stage. At the end of the 115-lap stage, the HendrickCars.com driver finished third, roughly one second behind the leader.
During the stage break, Larson visited his crew for four tires, fuel and adjustments. At the start of stage two, Larson took the outside of row two for the green flag. Not long after, he advanced to the runner-up spot. He maintained that position until he made a green-flag pit stop on lap 151 for four tires and fuel. Despite running in the second position once the green-flag pit stops cycled through, Larson reported that his Chevy was tight. On lap 179, the caution came out for inadequate lighting in turns 3 and 4. Eventually, the red flag was displayed. Once the lights were fixed and the red flag was lifted, Larson chose third taking the outside of the second row for the restart with 39 laps to go in the stage. Following the restart, the No. 5 driver claimed the second position. Just 18 laps later, Larson was running half a second behind the leader when a caution occurred. Under the yellow, Larson pitted for four tires and fuel from his team. He took the inside of the front row for the restart with a one-lap dash coming up. At the end of the stage, the HendrickCars.com driver was scored in the second-place.
During the stage break, Larson stayed out when pit road opened. He chose the inside of the front row for the start of the final stage. Shortly into the stage, Larson reported that his Chevy was loose, causing him to make contact with the wall. Over the next 15 laps, Larson slipped from the second position to fifth. On lap 270, Larson made a green-flag pit stop for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He cycled to the fourth position once everyone had made their pit stops. With less than 60 laps to go, Daniels assured Larson that his lap times were good. A caution occurred with 58 laps to go and Larson radioed that he was still loose. After a fast four-tire pit stop from the HendrickCars.com crew, Larson gained a spot on pit road, taking the lead. He chose the outside lane for the restart with 51 laps to go and never looked back despite two more late-race cautions. During the final restart, Larson fought hard to defend his lead. He held on to the top spot and went on to ultimately win his first ever Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
QUOTING KYLE LARSON:
“Our race car was really good when the sun was out. Just had to work on it. I messed up once and it got hung in neutral, and I slid and hit the wall. I think it bent the toe link a little bit, so it was kind of a struggle from there. Definitely had to fight it more than I was earlier, but we kept our heads in the game. That was really important. This race is all about keeping your head in it. I've been pretty hard on myself here the last couple months, but having a leader like Cliff (Daniels, crew chief), he really is good for my mind. Just proud of the team.”
NEXT RACE:
Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team head to the Midwest for our Home race at Kansas Speedway. The 400-mile race goes green Sunday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. ET on USA.
AdChoices